Post: A Beautiful Day in Ancient Rome

It’s a beautiful day in Rome. We saw two of the most iconic sites today: the forum and the colosseum.

They are both interesting, but I would have spent ages longer walking around the Forum and reading all the signs. One of the basic themes was: the street level was so high during the Middle Ages that anything below street level was underground and somewhat preserved. The second theme is, if the building could be used as a Christian church, it was much more preserved.

The Colosseum is an engineering wonder. But thinking about what went on there makes it difficult to imagine. It was an arena of cruelty to animals and humans. After its dedication, the citizens enjoyed 100 days of “free games.” During those days, countless numbers of animals and 50,000 people were killed in the name of entertainment.

Again, though, it is an engineering wonder. Five rings of stonework to make tiers of stadium seating. With many entrances, people could be seated quickly and easily. They had sewers that still work to accommodate everyone’s needs.

The areas below the stage, where the poor animals and some humans were quartered, are in really good shape because they were buried and then professionally excavated later.

We were taught to interpret the different types of holes in the stonework. At the lower levels, holes that went all the way through the stone, on the edges, were formed during the Middle Ages when people made living quarters in the Colosseum. The holes were for harnessing livestock. Other holes are square, and these also were used to divide the space up for living, using wood.

Then there are holes near the top. These were from Ancient Rome, and held up the awnings that gave shelter from the sun. Finally, there are small holes at regular intervals in some sections. These were where marble veneers were attached to make the area look palatial where the patricians sat.

I would visit the Colosseum again, if I could move around more thoroughly and read more signs, or do an audio guide. Our guide was good and full on information, but there were so many people visiting! The people waiting in line for same day tickets must have stood in line for hours— and may not have even been admitted.

We had a little free time and Mark and I visited the Santa Maria della Vittorio, a tiny church with a fine Bernini statue of St. Teresa and her rapture. What is really striking is the extreme Baroque style of the entire church. It is more highly decorated that even St. Peter’s. Baroque style leaves me wondering exactly what I am supposed to be directing my attention to.

Our organizing tour guide booked the group at dinner at a restaurant called Strega which means witch. She made table decorations and even found some Halloween candy for us. It was very thoughtful. Tomorrow, All Saints Day, is the real holiday in Italy. Halloween has only a little commercial significance, and of course is popular with children.